There is one other thing that shows how religion is regarded in Ireland today: The power of the press on reporting clerical errors and wrongdoings. When the scandal about clerical abuse was broken by The Irish Times, there were people who would not believe it, they thought it was a scandalous story invented by the paper. They obviously paid no heed to the fact that the Times was and still is, regarded as one of the more respectable papers.

There is some form of church related scandal to be seen nearly every week now. If not a new story there there is an ongoing one which is being continuously covered. There was a time when stories like these were hushed up and some families were allegedly paid off to keep these stories out of the papers.

It is only in more recent times, when these people have come forward to tell their stories , that we can see just how much power the church used to have in Ireland, and just how much power they have also lost.

The fact is, some of us don’t think we need anything to follow any more. Life is so much simpler when you don’t have to think of greater powers or an afterlife. We don’t want to believe in sin and the greater good.
We want to be able to get on with our lives, do what we like and live life to the full. Religion gets in the way of that. Sunday mornings are easier to bear with no drone of a priest early on the morning. Likewise for special occasions and (ironically) religious holidays.
Yet we all can become very religious when it’s needed, think of how many people declare their love for religion when they want to be married!

Has our faith in the church disappeared forever or is this just a lull in our worship?

Humans are (unfortunately) very like sheep, we like to follow others and have something to work towards. It used to be religion which kept us on our toes, the priest was the be all and end all, a figure of power and might. Now with the numbers of religious vocations declining at a rapid rate and an aging priesthood it seems that we have decided to follow something else.

Perhaps it is because we have had to expand our religious views, there is not just one religion in Ireland any more, there are loads to choose from.

So we question ourselves more about whether we can be in the 'correct' religion as surely, we all think, these religions cant all be the right ones. Some of us have to be wrong!

It could be that we are afraid of joining the wrong one too, therefore worshiping a false god. 

Gone are the times of a son or daughter being held in high regard after joining the priesthood or nunnery. Nowadays parents are more likely to bring you to a doctor if you declare a calling to the religious life.